Бразилиядағы әлем чемпионатына қатысушылардың рекордтық саны және «Мараканазо» трагедиясы

World Cup final, held in Brazil

Spectated officially by 173,850 people and possibly by over 200,000, the Maracanazo is usually seen as the most highly attended football match ever played, though the 1923 FA Cup final may have been attended by up to 300,000 people.

The specialised press and the general public were so confident of victory, based on Brazil's almost indomitable form, that they had already started declaring Brazil the new world champions for days prior to the match. Newspapers such as the Gazeta Esportiva in São Paulo and O Mundo in Rio de Janeiro proclaimed victory the day before the game. On the morning of 16 July 1950, the streets of Rio de Janeiro were bustling with activity. An improvised carnival was organised, with thousands of signs celebrating the world title, and chants of "Brazil must win!". This spirit was maintained right up until the final minutes of the match, which filled the Maracanã Stadium with a paid attendance of 173,850 and an actual attendance of up to 220,000 by some estimates, including thousands who entered the stadium illegally. This is an all time record attendance for a football match that is unlikely to be broken in an era when practically all high profile matches are held in all seater stadiums; until its first great remodelling in 1999, the Maracanã was mostly concrete grandstands with no seats.

The Brazilian newspaper O Mundo printed an early edition on the day of the final containing a photograph of Brazil with the caption "These are the world champions". Disgusted with the premature assumption, Uruguay's captain, Obdulio Varela, bought as many copies as he could, laid them on his bathroom floor and encouraged his teammates to spit and urinate on them. In the moments prior to the match, coach Juan López informed his team in Uruguay's dressing room that their best chance of surviving the powerful offensive line of Brazil would come through adopting a defensive strategy. After he left, Varela stood up and addressed the team himself, saying "Juancito is a good man, but today, he is wrong. If we play defensively against Brazil, our fate will be no different from Spain or Sweden." Varela then delivered an emotional speech about how they should go against all odds and not be intimidated by the fans or the opposing team. The speech, as was later confirmed, played a huge part in the outcome of the game. In response to his squad's underdog status, the captain delivered the memorable line, "Muchachos, los de afuera son de palo. Que comience la función." ("Boys, outsiders are just stickdolls. Let's start the show." or "Outsiders don't play. Let the show begin.")

The game began as form predicted, with Brazil attacking against the Uruguayan defensive line for the majority of the first half. Unlike Spain and Sweden, however, the Uruguayans managed to maintain their defence and the first half ended scoreless. Brazil scored the first goal of the match only two minutes after the interval, with São Paulo forward Friaça shooting low past goalkeeper Roque Máspoli. After the goal, Varela took the ball and disputed the validity of the goal to the referee, arguing that Friaça was offside. Varela drew out this argument, going so far as to demand that the referee listen to him through an interpreter. By the time the conversation ended, the crowd had calmed down, then Varela took the ball to the center of the field, and shouted to his team, "Now, it's time to win!" Uruguay managed to take control of the game. When faced with a capable Uruguayan attack, Brazil showed their frail defense, and Juan Alberto Schiaffino scored the equaliser in the 66th minute. Later, Alcides Ghiggia, running down the right side of the field, scored another goal, with a low shot that went just under goalkeeper Barbosa (who, having anticipated a cross from Ghiggia's position, dived a moment too late to stop the ball from rolling under him), with only 11 minutes remaining on the clock. The crowd went virtually silent after the second Uruguay goal until English referee George Reader signalled the end of the match with Uruguay winning 2–1.